Cyanide victims think 'poison' warning a slogan

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, May 19, 2005

TAIPEI - A man in Taiwan has died and four others were poisoned after drinking a popular bottled fizzy drink laced with cyanide and labelled "I am poisonous. Please do not drink."

Some of the victims thought the warning was a new advertising slogan, police said on Thursday.

The manufacturer of Bullwild energy drink, Paolyta Co., ordered an island-wide recall of about 1.2 million to 1.6 million bottles. The drink, which is popular among taxi drivers and workers, has also been taken off shelves in Hong Kong and Macau.

Police suspect someone laced the drink with cyanide before placing it on store shelves, and released footage taken from a surveillance camera of a man in his 20s or 30s in the hope the public could help identify him.